新前滩文化中心坐落于黄浦江畔一簇闪亮的全新高楼之间，如恩为该项目的室内设计构想为“竞技场”，是一个对古典原型的当代诠释。大剧院，其大堂大厅，以及环绕其周围的流通道路，都由一系列拱门限定其在空间中的位置。从五层的中庭空间可以一览高垒的层层拱门，给人留下深刻印象。在配有2500个座位的大剧院中，暖色调的橡木包裹环绕着整个表演厅，这里重复出现的拱门主题不仅呼应了竞技场的概念，还帮助满足了剧院的静音需求。 设计理念沿用了“黑盒子” (black box)的字面概念，使用黑色不锈钢作为主要覆层材料。相比之下，穿过黑箱大厅的自动扶梯空间，“灯箱”，则完全由玻璃块构成，给访客提供了沿着水晶隧道游行的体验。文化中心中的其它支持空间也呈现了独到的设计；从古铜色覆面的卫生间，到呈现铜质曲面的电梯轿厢，再到多孔的砖砌VIP休息室，每个空间都呈现出其独到之处。 在整个项目中，如恩试图摆脱在常规娱乐空间设计中的浮华和音躁，而是通过使用触觉性材料和古典原型为设计注入一种博物馆般的质感。“竞技场”不仅是让人们在视觉和听觉上受到激发的场所，更能引发其智力上的思考。
Situated along the bank of the Huangpu River amongst a cluster of shiny new skyscrapers, Neri&hu’s interior design concept for the project is "the arena,” a contemporary interpretation of the classical archetype. The grand theater, its lobby concourse, and the circulation paths encircling it, are all defined by a series of arches. Within the 2500-seat grand theater, warm oak envelops the entire the performance hall, the repeating arch motif here not only echoes the arena concept, but also helps to fulfill the acoustic requirements of the theatre. The design concept plays on the literal notion of a “black box,” using blackened stainless steel as the main cladding material. In contrast, the "light box" escalator space that traverses through the black box’s lobby, is made entirely of glass blocks, giving visitors the experience of traveling along a crystalline tunnel. Other support spaces throughout the cultural center showcase unique designs as well—from the bronze-clad toilets, to lift cabs featuring curved copper, to the VIP lounge made of perforated bricks (as seen from the picture, the bricks themselves are not perforated, but rather the walls)—imparting each space with its own distinctive features. Throughout the project, Neri&hu attempts to break away from the flashiness and noise commonly found in entertainment space design, rather to inject a museum-like quality through the use of tactile materials and archetypal forms. "The Arena" becomes a venue that invites people to not only be visually and aurally stimulated, but also to be challenged intellectually.